title: [Health risk behavior among young offenders].
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate health risk behavior among teenage offenders committed to a social-educational institution in a city in Greater Metropolitan Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The sample included 241 males 12-18 years of age. Data were collected with a brief self-completed questionnaire used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, translated and adapted for young Brazilians. 79.7% of subjects reported having carried a gun and 52.7% had been in fights involving physical aggression in the previous 12 months. Most of the young offenders smoked cigarettes (87.6%) and consumed alcohol (64.7%). The majority reported having sniffed inhalants (68.9%), and 81.3% had smoked marijuana. The vast majority (95.4%) reported being sexually initiated, most having had sex with more than one partner. Young offenders showed high rates of various health risk behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Enfermagem Nossa Senhora das Graças, Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, Brasil. claudiasena2004@globo.com
authors.forename: Cláudia Alves de
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sena
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Colares
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000374:Aggression; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012907:Smoking; D012919:Social Behavior; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*